The present invention relates to animal traps and in particular to animal traps of the type comprising a box or housing into which the animal to be trapped is lured, whereupon a trigger mechanism activated by the animal from the inside of the housing releases a door or gate to be closed.
The traps of this kind are known from prior art. Reference may be had, for instance, to U.S. Pat. No. 2,188,652 issued to N. Cress Jan. 30, 1940. Another device of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,229,685 issued to G. F. Swedenburg Jan. 28, 1941. Still further device of this kind is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,573,228 issued to J. M. Slauth Oct. 30, 1951, U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,667 issued to A. J. Souza Mar. 20, 1979 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,984 issued to F. A. Brubaker Jr. Jan. 19, 1982.
The above prior art references show that the kind of trap having a housing into which the animal is lured and which is then closed has been known and used for a considerable length of time.
One of the disadvantages of the known traps of this kind is seen in that the animal trapped inside the housing is often left to expire after a prolonged time of suffering, often due to lack of food or lack of water or the combination of the two.
Attempts have been made to reduce the suffering of the trapped animal by providing means for introduction of an anesthetizing fluid such as chloroform into an enclosed trap. U.S. Pat. No. 2,518,819, issued to A. B. Roessler Jr. Aug. 15, 1950, discloses a box-shaped trap with a flap to which is secured a capsule of a lethal material. The animal trapped inside must attack the flap in an effort to free itself and in the process to puncture the capsule to release its contents. While this arrangement may be more humane than the traps mentioned above, the suffering of the trapped animal is still substantial. U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,504, issued to M. L. Dosch July 16, 1974, shows another trap having a housing provided with a valve which permits a user to introduce a predetermined amount of an anesthetizing fluid into the housing. Here, again, the trapped animal may be left in the trap for a considerable time before the user arrives to administer the lethal substance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement in the traps of the type of the last two references whereby the suffering of the trapped animal would be still further reduced and preferably completely eliminated.